October 17, 2019 - Mayor Tom Henry, Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Director Steve McDaniel, community leaders and funding partners gathered inside the lobby of the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory to officially open the new Conservatory Connector. The $552,000 project links the Conservatory to the lower level of the Embassy Theatre, the Grand Wayne Center, the Fort Wayne Hilton, and other downtown destinations.
“This has been a project we’ve been trying to make happen for several years,” said Director McDaniel. “The Botanical Conservatory draws thousands of visitors during the entire year and this project now allows everyone to visit without having to brave the elements. We are extremely appreciative of the donors and our project team that has finally made the Connector a reality.”
Construction began on the Connector in April, and the structure allows residents and visitors to park in the covered Civic Center parking garage and access the Conservatory, along with other nearby facilities, without ever venturing outside during inclement weather.
The Connector project was made possible by contributions from the AWS Foundation, the Edward M. and Mary McCrea Wilson Foundation, the English Bonter Mitchell Foundation, the Grand Wayne Center and Allen County-Fort Wayne Capital Improvement Board, the Journal Gazette Foundation, the Magee-O’Connor Foundation, PNC Charitable Trusts, and the Auer Foundation.